Hotels near Empire State Building

The Empire State Building has been New York's defining skyscraper since 1931, a 102-storey Art Deco tower that held the title of world's tallest building for almost forty years. Its 86th-floor open-air observatory remains the classic New York view, looking straight down the avenues and out across all five boroughs.

A higher, glass-enclosed deck on the 102nd floor goes even further up, and the redesigned museum on the way to the lifts tells the story of the building's record-breaking thirteen-month construction. After dark the tower's crown lights up in colours that mark holidays and events across the city.

Pro Tip: Sunset slots are magical but busiest; an early-morning or late-night ticket is far quieter. Buy timed entry online to skip a queue, and check the forecast - haze and low cloud can swallow the view from 320 metres up.